Merry Christmas, Tali!
by Krazycatsful
Summary: James Shepard forgot to buy Tali's Christmas gift on Omega, but the gift that he gave her will be one that she'll never forget.


Merry Christmas, Tali!

The whole team was exhausted.

Two weeks after Commander James I. Shepard destroyed the Collector Base, the Normandy had to stop on the space station of Omega to repair the ship and give the crew some shore leave; they were exhausted after all. After spending at least six months on the Collector's trail, James Shepard could finally sit back and enjoy life… at least until he went to the Citadel to speak with the 'very helpful' Council.

A lot of things happened on those six months. Most of them bad, sure, like waking up and realizing that you were dead, the 'love of your life' practically ignoring you because she was too busy looking for a Shadow Broker, members of your old squad blaming you and leaving you…

But there were also the good things.

James always knew – since the Normandy SR1 – that he could always trust two very special persons: Garrus Vakarian and Tali'Zorah vas Normandy – or nar Rayya, for that time. Garrus was his comrade, his partner-in-crime, his long lost brother from another mother… and race. But James didn't care about that. He knew that he could trust the Turian Vigilante with his life.

And Tali. The young, spirited Quarian Machinist that – much to his surprise – had feeling for him since the SR1. He was slightly taken aback when she accidentally made a slip-up on the Engineering Deck. She stated that she trusted James to link suit environments with him. After that he accepted her offer and things went quite well while she did her research on Human-Quarian relationships. They started to eat together at the Mess Hall, after that they would go to James' Quarters to talk about nothing in particular. They talked about music, videos, technology – since it was an interest shared by both of them – and about the crew.

Everything was going great. It went even better after they made love. Tali was nervous at first, but after she pounced onto him, all of her nervousness was lost. Sure, she was quite clumsy, but James knew that she was inexperienced so he let her practice with him. The whole moment was blissful, no other place on the Galaxy could be happier for them. They had found each other's partner. Their true love.

James managed to destroy the Collector Base. None of the team died. How did he manage to save everyone? He didn't know. But there was one priority on his mind; above all else Tali's safety was more important. Even on battle he made quick glances to her and eliminated every potential threat. She glared at him most of the times, he knew that she could take care of herself, but nevertheless he wanted to be a good boyfriend – it was his responsibility to take care of her, to protect her and to be with her no matter what.

A couple of days after the Normandy docked on Omega, the entire hull was replaced – without the Cerberus logo. The Commander cut ties with the organization completely, but he knew that the Cerberus crew was completely loyal – including Miranda and Jacob. He set a course for the Citadel to speak with the Council.

Tali and James made love after the hull was replaced. She assured him many times that she felt better and that she wanted to share herself with him. After that time, her reaction was minimal since her body was getting adapted to Shepard's germs. Because of that, he took a decontamination unit from the Normandy's Medical Bay and – thanks to Mordin – installed in on the antechamber of Deck 1, Captain's Quarters. This allowed her to sleep peacefully without a mask or helmet in the way, giving both of them freedom.

The couple lay on their bed on the Captain's Quarters. James was embracing Tali from behind, his arm tightly wrapped around her waist. Their legs were intertwined and Tali was asleep… but James was not. It was one of those sleepless nights. He woke up by a loud **THUD**, which meant that the Normandy had successfully docked on the Citadel. The Commander glanced at the holographic clock on the end table. 2343 hours, December 24th, 2185.

_December 24__th__… Holy shit. _ His eyes widened. _Christmas presents. Damn it, I was supposed to buy them on Omega! _Slowly and carefully, he untangled himself from the bed sheets and Tali. She stirred a little and grabbed Shepard's pillow, putting in on top of her head. James smiled as he slid into some jeans and his N7 hoodie. He exited the cabin quietly and managed to get to the CIC. There were a couple of crewmen on the CIC, but none of them noticed their Commanding Officer's presence on the deck. He walked towards the cockpit and glanced quickly at Joker, who was sleeping on the pilot's chair.

"Should I inform Executive Officer Lawson of your departure, Shepard?" EDI asked him when he entered the airlock. He put on his hoodie.

"No. Nobody knows about this, EDI. Just you. I'll be back quickly, don't tell anyone." He leaved the Normandy and went to his destination: a jewellery store. When he entered the store, it was quite full. _Mostly human men. Looks like I wasn't the only one that forgot to buy a Christmas gift._ He thought as he approached a showcase. _Rings are out of the equation, since these won't fit on Tali's finger. A necklace? No. Ha ha! Bingo! A bracelet. _He thought. "Hey how much for this?" He asked the employee.

"For this one?" The employee pointed at the bracelet. James nodded. "A thousand credits, sir. It's made out of silver and you can engrave it."

"So I can engrave it? Nice. That'll be all." James said.

"What will it say, sir?"

The Commander smiled. "Something simple. 'I love you, Tali. Keelah Se'lai – from James Shepard.' That'll be it."

The employee's eyes widened. "James Shepard? The James Shepard? Commander Shepard?!" She asked with enthusiasm.

"Shh quiet!" He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly. "I umm… I forgot to buy a Christmas present for my girlfriend." James explained. "But I also feel that a bracelet is not enough. You – as a woman – what would you ask?"

"By the 'Keelah Se'lai' I believe that she is Quarian, right?" Shepard nodded. _Commander Shepard dating a Quarian? How cute! _ "Well if you have a holo of both of you, we sell holo projectors. You can give it to her with a stuffed bear or something – which we also sell."

"I like it. Where are the bears?" The employee pointed at a wall that was on the right side of the store. He walked towards it and saw the large collection of stuffed animals. _Well she liked Urz on Tuchanka. _Shepard thought as he picked up a cream-colored dog. _But I think that she'll like dogs better. They don't try to eat my face… or attack me. _"This'll be it." He said to the employee. She handed him the silver bracelet and the holo projector – as well as a small card for him to write something. He paid the bill and headed back to the Normandy.

James still had to do one thing, though. He still had to make the gift… presentable. So, he headed to the quarters of a certain thief that happened to be great friends with Tali'Zorah: Kasumi Goto. He knocked on the door, and when he heard a muffled 'Enter', he opened it. "Kasumi, I need your help." She was sitting with her legs crossed reading a book on the couch.

"Sure, Shep. What is it?" Kasumi asked while he took a seat next to her. Then, she noticed the stuffed dog, the holo projector and the small box containing the bracelet.

"You spend a lot of time with Tali, right?" The thief nodded. "Tell me, how the hell do I put this together?" She chuckled.

"Shep, this is adorable! I'm sure that Tali will love it. Let's see…" She took the stuffed dog. "The dog can hold the holo projector, and you'll put the bracelet on the dog's wrist. As simple as that." He started to do what she said.

"Thanks, Kasumi." He stood up and activated his omni-tool as he walked towards the door. When he was in the elevator, he picked a very special holo of Tali –unmasked – and him. Within seconds the holo projector displayed the holo. _Perfect. _The elevator arrived and he entered the antechamber, waiting for the decontamination unit to finish its cycle, he took the card as well as a pen and wrote on it.

_Tali:_

_Merry Christmas, beautiful. I don't know of the Quarians have an equivalent of Christmas, but as far as I know it's a just-Human tradition. I won't be filling this card to talk to you about traditions. What I will say is… well lots of things. First of all you have no idea of how I got this. I forgot to buy the Christmas gifts on Omega, so I had to sneak off at night to buy it, just hours before Christmas. My mother once thought me that – since the Human year is ending – to set goals for the next year, 2186. My goals are very clear: I will do anything in my power to help you, and your people as well reclaim your homeworld peacefully. I promise you that we will defeat the Reapers and that we'll have a nice house on Rannoch. I promise you that we'll have an amazing future together, and nothing – no Reaper – will stop me from getting it. _

_I love you, Tali. _

_James Shepard_

_December 25__th__, 2185_

He entered his cabin, it was still dark and Tali's sleeping figure was seen on their bed. He smiled as he approached her side and put the present on her end table. James stripped off his clothes so that he would rest on only his boxers and went to bed. He took the pillow that Tali took earlier, nuzzled his face on the back of her neck and fell asleep.

* * *

Tali felt something heavy on her waist. She opened her eyes and realized two things. First, she was in James' cabin, and it was James' arm around her waist. Second, it was the small, cream coloured thing on her end table. Her eyebrows furrowed as she slowly removed her boyfriend's arm from around her and took the furry stuffed animal slowly. _What the…? _She looked at the holo projector, and the holo that it had. _This is… It's me and James. _She thought. The Quarian noticed a small card on the thing's ear. She took it and felt her eyes water as she read it. Tali put the card on the end table and spun abruptly to face her sleeping boyfriend. She took the back of his head and gave him a 'wake up' kiss.

"Hmm? Wha?" He asked, still with his eyes closed.

"The card!" She buried her face on his chest and let her tears flow, but some of the hair in it tickled her – Quarian skin was very sensitive – so she was crying and laughing.

"What card?" He asked sleepily. She looked for the card on her end table and showed it to him. He opened his eyes briefly. "Oh that card." He smiled but he gave her a concerned look when he saw the tears in her eyes. "Y-Are you okay?"

She buried her head on his chest again. "Y-yes." She nodded and looked at him. "It's just that… your card… did you really mean it? Retake the homeworld? And… and live together?"

"I meant all of it, Tali." He kissed her forehead. "And did you even see your gift?" James asked, trying to change the mood.

"There's more?" He took the stuffed dog and took the bracelet. He put it on her wrist.

She took the small, engraved item and read it. She cried even more. _Keelah Se'lai…_

"And this is a dog!" He exclaimed as he showed it to her. Her boyfriend put the dog on his lap and wiped her tears away. "Don't cry." He whispered, but it wasn't an order, it was just him trying to give her some comfort. She smiled.

"A dog?"

"Yes, Tali. A dog. It's a Human animal. I thought you would've liked it."

"I do." She took the stuffed dog. "It looks adorable."

He chuckled. "And what do you think of the holo?" She said nothing as she put the dog and the card on the end table.

"What do I think?" Tali asked playfully as she straddled James with her own body. "I think that you are the best boyfriend ever." She laughed. "Keelah my father would've hated you!" He joined her laugh.

"Merry Christmas, Tali!" He kissed her and she decided that it was time for her next intimate experience with James. She wanted to repay him, after all.

* * *

(A/N) Well this is my Christmas special. Happy Holidays! - **Krazycatsful**


End file.
